The Technical University of Denmark (DTU) has been an independent institution since 2001, and as a result has an administration that is more reminiscent of what you find in the private business world than at other educational institutions. This means that DTU must make money on an equal footing with other companies, but DTU also receives money from the state.

DTU is made up of a number of institutes and centers as well as DTU's central administration, all of which in principle have independent management and finances. DTU is managed overall by a central board, consisting of external business leaders, representatives from the staff, lecturers and students at DTU. Day-to-day management is handled by the directorate, headed by the principal. In collaboration with the Academic Council, rules and guidelines are set for DTU.

The Academic Council is DTU's highest body and oversees DTU's academic affairs. The Chancellor discusses important presentations on strategy, organizational changes and finances with the Academic Council, unless the Board of Directors has decided otherwise for special reasons. The Academic Council consists, in addition to DTU's rector, as chairman, of 8 academic staff and 3 students.

DTU's executive board is responsible for the day-to-day operations, and with the chancellor as chairman of the Academic Council, the executive board has direct influence on how the decisions made by the Board of Directors are implemented. In order for you as a vector/supervisor to have a sense of who is being referred to when student politics are discussed, pictures of the executive board are reproduced below.

Diploma engineering and bachelor students admitted on 1 July 2014 or later must register for at least 60 new ECTS points per academic year. Enrollment for 60 ECTS points per year must therefore take place, regardless of whether the student needs to pass courses from previous semesters. Registration for an optional course/optional course is binding and means that this course must be passed in order for the student to complete the education. The student has the opportunity to choose a new optional course/optional course if this happens within the post-registration period for courses. Registration for a course is then binding and will be included as a compulsory course in the student's study plan, cf. above. The student can apply for a dispensation to replace the optional course with another if there are special circumstances.

More information about study rules can be found at:
http://sdb.dtu.dk/ Here you will also find study rules and information about the individual courses.

The civil engineering program at DTU consists of a 3-year bachelor's degree (BscE) and a 2-year master's degree. From September 2015, DTU offers 16 different bachelor's programmes. Once you have obtained your bachelor's degree, you are qualified to start a master's degree. The bachelor's part therefore does not provide a direct opportunity to enter the labor market. The bachelor's part consists of 180 ECTS points which are divided into 4 groups, which together form the flagship model:

For most majors, the Science basic subjects consist of Mathematics 1, Physics 1 and Basic or General Chemistry, as well as a few extra major-specific days. These help to form the core academic basis of the education.

The Technological core subjects are direction-specific subjects which form the core of the relevant bachelor's program and provide prerequisites for following one or more master's programmes. Exactly which apply within the individual direction can be found on DTU's website under „Education“ and then „Bachelor“, where you can find the different directions. Here, under „Study course“ you can find „Study plan“, which indicates the subjects.

Projects and general subjects provide the necessary tools that you will use as an engineer. These include Engineering work and study introduction, both of which are in the 1st year of study. In addition, the subject project, the Theory of Science of the Engineering subject, as well as the bachelor's project belong to this block. All the subjects mentioned are compulsory.

Optional subjects exist so that you can choose the subjects you are interested in yourself. It will also be the start of the specialization that you will later complete in your master's degree. This still gives a great deal of freedom of choice during the bachelor's programme, with a wide range within natural sciences and the more studyline-specific subjects. The optional subjects can be used to change the focus of the education, so that you can qualify for a master's degree to which the original bachelor's degree does not immediately give access.

At the start of the course of study, there are most subjects in the group of basic science subjects. The number of basic science subjects is continuously decreasing, while there is a greater and greater degree of optional subjects. Projects and general subjects take up a lot of space both at the beginning and at the end of the course of study, while the Technological line subjects generally take up a lot of space in the middle of the study.

The education for the diploma is standardized for 3.5 years (Apart from Export & Technology which is 4.5 years and Arctic Technology which is 4 years), including half a year of internship. The internship can either be taken in a Danish or foreign company.

The first 3-4 semesters are scheduled in advance. In the 5th semester, you will most often do an internship. In the 6th and 7th semesters, you have the opportunity to choose your own subjects and to specialize in the area you find interesting. In the 7th semester, a Bachelor's project is written (15-20 ETCS points)

If, as a graduate of Diploma in Engineering, you do not feel that your student life is over, you have the option of getting a superstructure in the form of a master's degree. The master's program takes two years to study, and is completely optional in terms of choosing courses. A candidate is chosen within the 28 general areas, and after choosing a candidate, you take courses (on the bachelor's degree) in order to get a direction designation. There are additional entry requirements that must be taken. If you do not have these subjects, you must take them during the elective semester of the Diploma programme.